Charlotte and the Metallic Three
by Penelope Richmond
Summary: A Muggle-Born (OC) is going to save the world from Voldie. Yay! An original concept (I think). Includes a prophecy and other stuff. Better than it sounds! I'm not sure about the K though - may change.
1. No Way!

I AM SO SORRY! IF YOU WERE CONFUSED, I'M SORRY! I ACCIDENTALLY PUT IT N HARDY BOYS! BUT IT'S FIXED NOW!

**Chapter One – No Way!**

"Pass it, Charlotte, _pass it_!" cried Belinda, the Little Hanging Lions' coach. Charlotte Vaughan passed the ball obediently to her teammate, Claire Cooper.

Charlotte sped into the goal circle, running faster than she ever had. She received the ball back from Claire and, before the Goal Keeper knew what had happened, the ball had popped through the goal and the whistle rang through the crisp autumn air.

"I can't bear to watch," Mrs. Vaughan told her husband fearfully. "They're still a goal down."

But luckily, it was the Lion's centre pass and Charlotte managed another goal quickly, and the scores were even.

The Northern Districts Hawks' Centre glanced at her Wing Attack and Goal Attack. There was only time for one more play.

The whistle sounded, and the Centre immediately passed to her WA. But the Wing Defence was too quick, and she passed to Claire again.

"Claire! _Claire_!" screamed Charlotte, running into the circle again. "Quickly!"

Charlotte's player was quite short, so Claire lobbed it high and Charlotte caught it easily. She pivoted to face the goal.

She knew she only had three seconds, but she couldn't afford to miss this goal. She carefully aimed, and the ball left her fingertips.

The whistle rang out again. "Lions' centre pass," the umpire called. But the bell sounded, and she blew again. "Time. Lions' win!"

The seven Little Hanging players on the court screamed and met in the middle, hugging madly. Family members, friends and the rest of the team soon joined them.

"Great shooting, Char!" cried Claire. 

"You weren't so bad yourself," Charlotte replied, grinning. She wiped the sweat from her face and impatiently tucked the locks that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. "You're great in wing."

The team bathed in the glory of winning. They had, for the first time ever, won the Under 13's Surrey Netball Association's Summer Competition's grand final, and they weren't going to let that feat go unnoticed.

Continual praise came Charlotte's way, for they all thought her shooting was excellent. But, finally, her mother insisted that she come home for dinner.

Charlotte left happily, thinking about the game. It had been very close, the lead switching several times. 

Never did it cross her mind that she wouldn't play a proper season of netball again.

At breakfast the next day, Charlotte heard a tapping at the window. She looked up, wondering who – or what – it was.

She faintly heard her mother scream.

An owl was sitting on the windowsill, pecking at the glass. A letter was tied to its left foot, so it hopped around so as not crush it.

Charlotte ran to the window, opening it. The bird flew in, landing on the table and holding its leg out expectantly.

Nervously, Charlotte reached for the letter. 

She turned it over. She broke an official-looking, old-fashioned seal to open the letter.

The letter was made of the same parchment, written in the same emerald ink. A coat of arms, like that on the seal, was that of a lion, serpent, badger and eagle united around a large letter 'H'. _Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus_ seemed to proclaim a motto.

Charlotte began to read the letter:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Vaughan, _[it read]

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment and instructions for the start of term.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress 

Charlotte reread the letter several times. This has got to be a joke, surely! she thought. No way do witches exist! No way am I a witch!

"What's wrong, dear?" asked her mother, catching the look on her daughter's face.

"Read it," she replied weakly, handing the letter over.

As Mrs. Vaughan read the letter to her husband, Charlotte searched the envelope for the other enclosed letters. She found two more pieces of paper she hadn't noticed before and read on the first:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform

First year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags.

Set Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

A Guide to Self-Protection from the Dark Forces by Artemis Coffely

Other Equipment

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Charlotte eagerly switched her attention to the other document. It read:

As you are of Muggle (non-magical) parentage, you may find it useful to be enlightened on Hogwarts and other related subjects.

Children showing signs of magic, or coming from a wizarding family, are accepted at Hogwarts. There they will learn to acknowledge, use and control their magic.

To take your place at Hogwarts, you must send a letter to us by owl. To do this, simply attach the letter to the owl who delivered this to you and it will take it to us.

Items you require at Hogwarts are available at Diagon Alley. On Terrier Road, London, a pub called The Leaky Cauldron may be found. Further instructions can be obtained from the barman, Tom.

Enclosed is a ticket for the Hogwarts Express. You will find Platform 9 ¾ if you lean on, run at or walk through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

If further instructions are required, please send your requests with your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Charlotte glanced at the owl, which was helping itself to her cornflakes. Well, she thought, if this is a joke, it's a very good one.

She passed the last letter to her father, who quickly read through it.

"I'm not surprised, you know," her mother said softly. "My cousin went to Hogwarts."

"Which one?" enquired Charlotte. 

"Hilary Hicks," she replied. "Dora's mother. I haven't seen her for donkeys years, to tell you the truth. Not since she got her letter,"

"So …" Charlotte broke off, the statement sinking in. "So, you knew this would happen! You knew I was a witch!"

"I knew it might happen. I didn't tell you because – well, you know what little girls are like!"

"So I'm a little girl now, am I?" Charlotte snarled, barely restraining herself from shouting.

"Don't use that tone of voice with me, young lady. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to get your hopes up. And darling, please, you know you were a little girl once, and even if you aren't one now you will always be my little girl. Remember that," 

Charlotte struggled to keep her temper under control. Her parents were always saying or doing things that she didn't like. She'd been excited about a holiday to England, but she hated the fact that they had decided to live there. She was eleven now, surely they could include her in these decisions? What if she'd liked Australia? What if she hated dark, cold, gloomy Britain?

~*~

'Kay, now, peoples, you review or else! Owight? Okay. Now. Do it now!

Uh, just so you know, this will get better. I have mostly the whole story planned out. So review and I'll make it get better!


	2. Mixing with her Own Kind

Yay! Chappie two. Get ready for it to get better (hopefully!)

**Chapter Two – Mixing with Her Own Kind**

The escalator was crowded with business people, all in a hurry to get to work. The only people not in suits were Charlotte and her parents.

"Are you sure this is the right way, Mummy?" she asked nervously, glancing at the sign. "The letter says Terrier Road,"

"I know. Harper Way leads to Terrier Road, dear. I know what I'm doing,"

Charlotte was unconvinced, but sure enough; they were soon walking down Terrier Road with a flood of besuited men and women. 

"The Leaky Cauldron," she heard her father mutter. "The Leaky Cauldron – ah."

There, between a big bookshop and a record shop, was a dark and dingy-looking pub. No one else seemed to notice it, and Charlotte felt that maybe only she and her family could see it at all.

"Come inside, dear," said her mother, grabbing her hand and steering her towards the door.

Her father pushed open the door and the stench of cigar smoke, drink and sweat hit her in the face. She coughed fiercely.

"Hogwarts student, I presume?" came the voice of the short, old barman, Tom. "Someone needin' directions?"

"Er – yes, that's right," replied Mrs. Vaughan. "We were informed that you could help us find Diagon Alley."

"Of course. A drink, sir? We've Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, or perhaps just a Gillywater?"

"Uh – no thanks."

"Could I tempt the lady? Or perhaps you, girl?"

Charlotte shook her head fiercely. She had no idea what Firewhiskey or Gillywater were, and she didn't want to find out just then.

"Er – Diagon Alley?" Mrs. Vaughan reminded the man.

"Ah, yes. Right this way,"

He led the family through the back door into a walled courtyard, inhabited by nothing but weeds and a dustbin. Charlotte looked around for a doorway into the Alley, but there was none.

Tom drew a wand from his pocket and tapped the brick wall. "Take note; it's the brick three up, two across. You need to remember that, or you won't get through again," 

He tapped the brick twice more, and it quivered. A small hole appeared, but it grew wider and wider. Before she knew it, Charlotte was looking through an archway that looked large enough for a giant. An archway leading into a cobbled street that twisted out of sight.

"You'll want ter be goin' ter Gringotts Bank first, to exchange yeh money. Yeh can't miss it; it's white an' huge. Anyway, no one here would accept a pound note except those goblins!"

Charlotte thought she hadn't heard him right. "Er – what?"

"Goblins, yes. Just do what you need ter do and ge' ou' quick smart, tha's my advice," he grinned.

"Thanks," Mr. Vaughan told him, leading his wife and daughter through the archway. "We'll be fine from here,"

Around her, there were so many strange things that Charlotte wished she had about ten more eyes. They passed Eeylops Owl Emporium, Ollivanders, the Apothecary, Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and many more.

But finally they reached a snowy-white building that looked like it was made purely from marble; it towered above everything else around it and beside the brass double doors was what was unmistakably a –

"Goblin," Mrs. Vaughan whispered. "It must be,"

Mr. Vaughan, the boldest in the family, strode forward and opened the door for his wife and daughter. The goblin, with a clever face and extremely long fingers and feet, bowed them through.

Here they faced a second door, silver this time. Charlotte noticed words engraved on them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay dearly in their turn,

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there. 

"Sounds like you'd be mad to try and rob it then," Mr. Vaughan said, trying unsuccessfully to sound oblivious. To Charlotte, his voice came in more of a whimper.

Through the second set of doors was a hall made of marble. Innumerable goblins were working here; some at the long counter and others who seemed to be following people through the many doors leading off the hall. The goblins at the counter were obviously working as tellers; scribbling in large ledgers, or examining vast amounts of gold or precious stones.

There was a free goblin near the end of the hall, so Mr. Vaughan made a beeline for it.

"How may I help you?" croaked the goblin. He peered at Charlotte menacingly.

"We'd like to exchange some Muggle money for …" Mr. Vaughan broke off, realising he didn't know what wizarding currency was. 

"Certainly. How much are you exchanging?"

"Fifty pounds," he replied, for that was how much was in Charlotte's bank account. He slapped a fifty-pound note on the counter.

"Would you like to take it to a vault and set up an account with us?" continued the goblin in his oily, bored-sounding manner.

"Yes, thanks,"

"That will cost you a Galleon. Here is the rest of the money. I will get someone to take you to your new vault. Yaaren!" he called, summoning a waiting goblin that could well have been female. (**A/N** Can you get female goblins?)

"Sir?"

"Take these customers to vault nine-three-six. The key is hanging with the rest by the door."

"Yes, sir," she replied. "This way please."

The Vaughan's followed Yaaren to one of the many doors leading off the hall, where she took a brass key off a hook. She gave it to Charlotte.

A considerably darker, dingier chamber was where the family found themselves. Tracks that looked like those for trams began here, and criss-crossed out of sight. Yaaren climbed into a waiting cart and gestured that they do the same.

Awkwardly, Charlotte climbed in. Huge stalactites hung from the ceiling, threatening to fall at any second, while stalagmites and towers of limestone made the cave seem like a forest of rock.

"You all in? Right. Off we go!"

With only that as a warning, the cart suddenly lurched forward. Charlotte left her stomach behind. Feeling very ill, she slumped down in her seat and stared at her feet until the ride was over.

"Vault nine-hundred and thirty-six," Yaaren grunted. "Lamp please."

Mrs. Vaughan picked up the lamp from the floor of the cart. The goblin waddled forward to the door. "Key, please."

Charlotte passed her the key. Yaaren unlocked the door to the vault at a two-foot-high keyhole. The door swung open.

A large vault appeared, dark and dingy. It was currently empty.

Yaaren took a money pouch from her belt and emptied it onto the floor. She then counted the large coins into three piles: large gold ones, medium silvers and little bronze ones. 

"These are Galleons," Yaaren informed them, pointing at the gold coins. "Them silver ones are Sickles and the others are Knuts."

"Really?" whimpered Mr. Vaughan. "Is that right?"

Yaaren looked at him like he was a lunatic, shrugged, and ushered them out.

"Wait!" cried Charlotte. "I need money, don't I?"

Her mother nodded, and gathered most of the coins back into her purse. "We'll replace it later, darl," she whispered as she passed. Charlotte nodded, and followed.

~*~

Individuals: 

**michelleywelley:** Hey! I hope this chapter is a little better! I finally checked my email today, so check yours and there should be a little message from me!

**Emma:** Hey, girl! Nice to hear from you. You know what's going to happen, you lucky duck. Oh well, I like you reviewing anyway!

**Ron's Best Mate:** Hello! Thankyou! You were my first review (reeeview, hee hee hee!) and you were the first ever person to put me on their favourites list! Thanks heaps!


	3. Diagon Alley

'K, here's chappie three. Sorry it's so short!

**Chapter Three - Diagon Alley**

Blinking in the bright sunlight, the Vaughan's began to explore Diagon Alley. Charlotte took out her supplies list and decided on the best plan of action.

"Since I need lots of books, maybe we should get them first," she told her parents, who nodded. Soon they were outside Flourish and Blotts, their moneybags lighter and packs heavier.

Next was a cauldron, a set of phials, scales, uniform and a telescope. But finally, they were standing outside Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.

"Here we go," Charlotte murmured as they walked inside.

The shop seemed tiny, but it was crammed full of shelves holding box after box. These were like those that kept chopsticks, or good pens. 

A sudden noise brought Charlotte to her senses. She looked up, startled, and saw a little old man on a moving ladder, like those in a library with very tall shelves.

"Ah," he murmured, stepping down from his ladder. "Muggle-born, are you? How do you do? I'm Mr. Ollivander,"

Tentatively she shook his worn, wrinkled hand. "Ch-Charlotte Vaughan," she squeaked.

"Pauline Vaughan, Charlotte's mother. Pleased to meet you."

"George Vaughan,"

After the introductions were complete, Mr. Ollivander focussed his attention on Charlotte.

"Well now, Miss Vaughan, which is your wand hand?" As he spoke, he took out a long tape measure with silver markings. 

"I'm, er, left-handed, if that's what you mean," she whispered. Her shyness was taking over again, just like it always did when she was nervous.

"Hold out you left arm – that's it. Let me try to find something that might suit you…"

The tape measure leapt out of his hands and began measuring her. Elbow to wrist, wrist to fingertip, shoulder to fingertip. Then, it began measuring other places. It was just measuring her right ear when Mr. Ollivander, who had been sorting through a stack of what she presumed where wand-boxes, seemed to find the one he was looking for and told the tape to cease. It crumpled to the floor.

"Now, there are many magical substances suitable for use in wands, but in Ollivander wands you'll only find one of three: dragon heartstring, unicorn tail-hair or a phoenix tail-feather. No two wands are ever the same, just as the animals are never quite the same.

"Now. When I give you a wand to try, simply wave it. When you find the one you like, let me know."

"How will I know?"

"You'll know. Because, really, the wand chooses the wizard. Or witch, in this case. Here, try this. Ebony, thirteen inches, phoenix feather, rather bendy,"

He took the said wand out of its box and handed it to her. Feeling rather stupid, Charlotte wiggled the wand a bit.

Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost immediately. "No, no … try this. Oak, dragon heartstring, ten inches. No flexibility."

Charlotte waved it. And she waved another. And another. Mr. Ollivander seemed quite happy that she'd tried almost every wand in his shop.

"Fantastic, you're a tricky customer. Here, try this. Beech, unicorn hair, twelve inches. Nice and supple."

As she touched it, Charlotte felt a sudden warmth at her fingers. As she waved the wand, a shower of blue and purple sparks showered from it like a fireworks display.

"Excellent! Oh, what a match! That'll be nine galleons, please."

Charlotte paid her money, grinning from ear to ear. She had a magic wand! Oh, it was so exciting!

Mrs. Vaughan thanked Mr. Ollivander warmly and steered her daughter out of the shop. Her husband followed.

"Are you ready to go home now, sweetheart?" she asked, hugging her daughter. Charlotte smiled. 

"Only if I have to,"

Her mother looked at her father. "We can stay," she said. "Is that, er, cool?"

"Don't try to be cool, Mum. It doesn't work!"

Emma: She will go to Hogwarts VERY VERY SOON! I swear! Thanks!

Stephanie: I know you don't like HP much but I'm happy that you read my fic anyway! Thanks!

Michelleywelley: You've touched on a subject that was the base for this story. Well done! Thanks!


	4. The Hogwarts Express Part One

Okay, this chap isn't quite as short as the last one…it was going to be heaps longer but I split it into two, hence the name 'Part One'.

Hows about thankies here instead? OK.

**michelleywelley: **thanks! I dunno about the parents thing, maybe one of them knows more than they're saying, hint, hint, nudge nudge, say no more, say no more!

**Michael: **I reckon not enough stories have left handed people in them, and my little bro's left handed, so what the heck? Thanks for the advice, I'll keep that in mind.

Okay, I had a total of TWO reviews *sob, sob* and that makes me feel unloved. My own BROTHER didn't review, damnit! Oh well, I can deal with him later.

**Chapter Four – The Hogwarts Express Part One**

On their departure from Diagon Alley, Tom the bartender had explained to them about Platform 9 ¾. Still, Charlotte was nervous about running headlong into a brick wall.

Of course, everything ran smoothly and the family found themselves in front of the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Students and parents mingled on the platform, saying final goodbyes. A large group of people, many redheaded, caught her eye.

"I'm fine, Mum, I'm not a baby – hey!" cried the redheaded girl as her mother enveloped her in a huge, motherly hug. A fiery-headed boy, presumably her brother, hugged his parents and made his way to the front of the train, his sister and a brunette in tow. 

"Goodbye, Harry dear," the mother said, hugging a raven-haired boy. "You take care and I'll see you at Christmas."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. Bye, Lupin!" He hugged a middle-aged weary-looking man and turned to the rest of the group. "Bye!"

"Don't I get a hug, Harry?" a woman with disturbingly pink hair asked, a look of mock hurt on her face. Harry grinned and hugged her. "Bye, Tonks. See you at Christmas!"

Surprisingly, Harry didn't follow the others to the front of the train. Instead, he lugged his trunk onto the fourth carriage and wave to the group again.

Charlotte turned to her own parents. "Well, um…" she stammered, not wanting to be the first to say goodbye.

"Goodbye, honey. You'll write lots, won't you?"

"'Course I will, Mum."

She turned to her father. "Bye, Dad," she whispered.

"Have fun, Chars. We'll see you at Christmas, yeah?"

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah."

She kissed both her parents in turn. "I'll miss you,"

"We'll miss you too."

There was a short silence. "Well, er, bye,"

She wheeled the trolley towards the nearest carriage, the sixth one down. Her father followed and helped her get her trunk onto the train.

"Do you want some help finding a seat?" he asked. She shook her head. 

"I'm fine."

He looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

He smiled. "Bye, hon."

He stepped off the train, as the engine had started and smoke was beginning to pour from the smokestack. He blew a kiss to his daughter.

Charlotte blew one back. "Bye, sweetheart!" a now teary Mrs. Vaughan called to the moving train. "Write lots!"

Charlotte nodded, waving. But all too soon, the platform was out of sight and she was alone.

She lugged her trunk along three full carriage corridors before she realised she was never going to find an empty compartment. She was about to summon all her courage and open the door of the nearest compartment when she heard a voice in her ear.

"Would you like a hand?"

The boy with jet-black hair from the platform, Harry, stood behind her, gesturing towards the heavy trunk she had been dragging along behind her. She nodded gratefully, noticing his eyes were a startling green.

Together they heaved the trunk into the corner of the compartment. "Are you sitting anywhere? You'll find everywhere is normally full by now."

Charlotte shook her head. He opened the door to the now empty compartment he had just vacated and ushered her in.

There was an awkward silence, and Charlotte was not tempted to break it. Her shyness was back yet again.

"So, uh…" Harry began. "Um, I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Much to his surprise, this got no reaction from Charlotte except "Oh, er…nice to meet you."

Harry waited for her to continue. When she did not, he decided to find out more himself.

"And, uh…your name is…?"

"Oh," Charlotte replied, a blush creeping up her face. "I'm Charlotte Vaughan."

Harry glanced around the compartment, deep in thought. Finally, "Pardon for asking, but…are you Australian?"

Charlotte nodded. "Thought so," he said. "Uh, is this your first year?" She nodded.

"Your…sixth?"

"Seventh," he corrected. "Though it doesn't seem like too long ago that I was sitting alone here, afraid that I would be the class reject. Then sitting with Ron, learning about the magical world…" He seemed lost in his memories, though he soon snapped out of it. "But is there anything you'd like to know?"

Charlotte thought for a moment. "That was a silly question, really," Harry continued. "If I'm right in saying you're a Muggle-born?"

"Apparently," Charlotte replied, uttering her fourth statement in Harry's presence. "It sounds like you are too,"

"No, that's Hermione. Well, I may as well be, but technically I'm not."

Charlotte was confused, and it must have shown on her face, because Harry backed up a little.

"I'm sorry. I forget how much you don't know! You see, I'm an orphan and I grew up with Muggles, my aunt and uncle. But my parents were both magic."

"I…I'm so sorry," Charlotte whispered. "I had no idea."

"Don't worry," Harry replied cheerfully. 

Charlotte was amazed that he could talk so freely about his deceased parents. "Your aunt and uncle…are they your only living family?"

Harry nodded. "I hate them. They hate me. It's been all right lately though, because they're afraid that Moody or Tonks is going to come and turn them into toads."

Charlotte was confused again. "I'm sorry, but, you keep mentioning friends of yours and I don't know who they are."

"Oh, uh…Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are my best friends and have been since first year. Ginny Weasley is Ron's little sister and she's been a friend since then too, a really good friend since fifth year, two years ago. She's in sixth year now."

Charlotte nodded. "Where are they?"

"At the front of the train. Hermione's head girl, which isn't surprising 'cause she's been top witch since first year, and Ron and Ginny are prefects, so they have to go with her to meet the new prefects. But I have no idea where Luna and Neville are,"

Charlotte frowned. "Oh, Luna's a Ravenclaw sixth year, Ginny's friend, who usually hangs around with us. Neville's her boyfriend, and he's a seventh-year Gryffindor with Ron, Hermione and me."

She was lost yet again. "Ravenclaw…is that a Hogwarts house?"

"Oh, yeah…there's Ravenclaw, which is supposedly for the smart ones, but look where they put Hermione…Gryffindor is our house, apparently the brave ones…there's Slytherin, the evil ones and Hufflepuff, who're basically anyone else."

Charlotte nodded. "How much do you do in these houses?"

"Uh, well…you eat at the house table in the Great Hall, you have lessons with your house and sometimes another house as well, you sleep in your house's dormitory and you root for your house Quidditch team."

Charlotte had no idea what Quidditch was, and said so.

"Ah, well…if you get me to explain it then it'll take all day. You see, I play Quidditch and I hate it when anyone gets it wrong so I'll have to tell you all five-hundred fouls and everything. At least, the ones I know…"

Charlotte smiled. He reminded her of herself when someone asked her about netball. 

The awkward silence was back.

"Oh, er…that's a pretty necklace, Charlotte. Did you get that is Australia?"

Charlotte looked down at her silver necklace. It was a little fairy holding an amethyst orb to its chest. She'd never taken it off for as long as she could remember.

"Yeah, my sister gave it to me when I was, like, four. Well, she's really my cousin, but she was like a sister to me. She moved in with us for a few years until she turned twenty and decided to move to England. She gave this to me just as she was leaving. I have no idea where she is now,"

"What was her name? You never know, she could still be here,"

"Yeah, maybe." Yeah right, Charlotte thought. "Her name was Dora."

Something clicked in her mind. "My cousin went to Hogwarts. Hilary Hicks. Dora's mother."

"Just a sec! Her mum was a witch! She went to Hogwarts! What if Dora was one too?"

Harry smiled. "How old was she when she moved in with you?"

Charlotte thought for a moment. "She was seventeen years older than me, and I was only a year old, so she must have been eighteen."

Harry nodded. "That fits," he replied. "You leave Hogwarts at seventeen or eighteen, depending on when your birthday is."

"Mine's June," Charlotte said. She was beginning to open up to Harry now.

"What day?" he asked, suspicious. What if it had been the day Sirius or Cedric had died?

"The thirtieth," 

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "That's only a month before mine," he noted. "But I'm six years older than you, so…"

She decided not to ask why he was so nervous about the month June. 


	5. The Hogwarts Express Part Two

Hello! Welcome to another instalment of my story! By the way, there is a very good reason it is called Charlotte and the Metallic Three. But it won't become clear why until later. I have a very good idea of what's going to happen, and some of you have already heard it, but most of you haven't and I know you are anxious to find out!

I will give you three clues:

1. There is another prophecy involved.

2. Charlotte will play a very important role in the downfall of Lord Voldemort.

3. Tonks plays a large part in the story.

Cryptic clues! Ooh, do you hate me now? Or do you love me?

I would love to hear your theories.

Thankies: 

**Emma: **Hey! Didn't you realise? I didn't really either until the fifth book. Harry kept on thinking about last June when Cedric died, and anyway, most of the really good stuff happens at the end of the year, which is June for them weird people in the Northern Hemisphere! (No offence was meant to anyone in that statement. That wasn't proper grammar. Oh well.) Sorry what I said would happen didn't!

**Ron's Best Mate: **Thanks for the many reviews. You took what I said seriously, huh? Ah, well. Um, can I use your real name when I put you in the next chapter? (See end of chap.)

**michelleywelley: **Hello! Thanks for the review, as always. The parents might…I have to think of something first. It was just an idea!

Here we go. Chapter five!

**Chapter Five – The Hogwarts Express Part Two**

The train sped towards Hogwarts, the smoke from it's smokestack dissipating into the atmosphere as the scarlet train wound through the countryside.

Inside the train, Charlotte and Harry were happily talking about Hogwarts and other related subjects, waiting for his friends. The food trolley came and went, and there was a lull in the conversation as they munched on magical treats.

It felt like they had been on the train forever, yet there was no sign of them reaching their destination soon. Charlotte was just running out of things to say when the compartment door opened and a tall redhead poked his head in.

"I see you've got company, Harry," the young man laughed. "I'm not interrupting anything?"

Harry got up and punched him lightly on the arm, then hugged him.

"Steady on mate, it's only been a couple of hours," he said.

Charlotte felt her old tendency to sink into the background coming back. Harry had seemed to forget she was there.

"Where's your other half?"

"She's coming," the redhead replied. "So's Ginny. Er, I don't think you've introduced us yet, mate," he continued, looking over Harry's shoulder (which didn't take much effort as the boy was so tall) at Charlotte.

Harry looked embarrassed. "Er, Charlotte, this is Ron Weasley, my best friend. Ron, this is Charlotte Vaughan."

Charlotte was amazed that he had remembered her name. She wasn't a very memorable person, or so she thought.

Ron stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Charlotte," 

She tentatively returned the greeting. 

Just as Ron was getting comfortable, the brunette Charlotte had seen on the platform arrived, along with the other redhead. The brunette's hair was alarmingly bushy.

The girls plonked themselves down on either side of Ron, the brunette planting a kiss on his cheek. Ron went red and returned the greeting. The redhead hid her eyes. 

"Not in public, please."

Harry laughed. "Sorry, Charlotte, I forgot to mention: Ron and Hermione are going out."

Charlotte guessed that the brunette was Hermione, so the redhead had to be Ginny. Just as she was thinking this, Ginny introduced herself.

"Well, since Harry isn't going to introduce us -" She gave Harry a mock dark look "- I'll have to do it. I'm Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister. That's Hermione Granger, top witch in every subject."

"And I'm glad for it," Ron said, kissing Hermione on the cheek again. "Otherwise I'd never get my homework done."

"You should put some more effort into your work this year," Hermione told him seriously. "We have our NEWTs this year."

"Newts?" inquired Charlotte.

"Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. End of year exams for the seventh years. Basically, us." Hermione replied.

"Um, not me, Hermione. Thank God. OWLs were more than enough, thankyou very much!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," Hermione translated.

Charlotte's mind was whirling with all this new information. She knew she would never remember it all.

"So…you're Muggle-born, are you, Charlotte?" Hermione asked.

Before she could answer, Ron interrupted. "Let's find out."

He knelt in front of her, his blue eyes staring into her hazel ones. Very slowly, he said two words.

"Lord Voldemort."

Charlotte frowned. Ron smiled. "Yep, she's Muggle-born."

"Oh, don't tease her, Ron," Hermione scolded. "Just because you don't get a reaction out of her doesn't mean she's Muggle-born, anyway."

"I am," Charlotte confirmed quickly. "Who's…Lord Voldemort?"

"He's the darkest wizard alive." Hermione replied. "He -" She broke off, glancing at Harry, who shrugged. "He killed Harry's parents."

The silence in the compartment was deafening. Everyone seemed to be avoiding Harry's gaze. Harry was scowling fiercely. 

Charlotte wisely decided not to pursue the subject. Instead she stared out the window, waiting for someone to speak.

Ginny came to her rescue. "So, Charlotte…who did you leave behind Down Under? I presume that's where you're from." 

Charlotte nodded. "I lived in Darwin, up north. It's the smallest capital city in Australia. It's got less than a hundred thousand people. We moved here in June, just before my birthday."

"Who did you leave behind, though?"

"Oh, uh…a few people. Sophie, Laura, Xana, Kircy, Clare, Jamie, Holly…that's about it."

"Any boys?" Ginny asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Is that all you care about, Gin?"

Ginny glared at him. "Just wondering."

Charlotte thought for a moment. "Nope," she said. "Oh, except Ben…but he moved to Ireland in February. He was my best friend since Preschool."

"Just your friend?" asked Ginny disappointedly. Charlotte nodded. "I never had a boyfriend, if that's what you mean."

Ginny shrugged. "You could say that,"

Hermione glanced at her watch and gasped. "We're almost there, and we haven't changed yet!"

"Keep your hair on, Hermione, we'll get changed now." Ron shook his head. "You worry too much."

"Boys, out." Ginny said.

"Aw, why do we get kicked out?" asked Ron, annoyed.

"Because there's more of us, that's why," Ginny replied. "Skedaddle!"

Ron raised his eyebrows at her choice of language, but said nothing. He opened his trunk, took out a set of robes and gestured for Harry to do the same.

When the boys were safely out of the compartment, the girls quickly changed. As they were only pulling them over their heads and not actually removing any items of clothing, Charlotte didn't quite see the point of kicking the boys out, but said nothing.

There was a knock at the door soon after they sat down again. "You girls decent?" came Ron's voice. 

"No!" called Ginny, though they were all finished putting on their robes.

"Who's not?"

"Hermione," Ginny answered.

"Good." Ron opened the door.

"Ron!" Hermione cried. "What if it'd been true?"

Ron shrugged. "You weren't exactly changing, just putting robes on over." 

"Pervert!" Ginny said, disgusted. Charlotte couldn't help a giggle. 

Harry came in. "What was that?"

"Ron's a perverted freak," Ginny answered, still looking quite grossed out.

Ron ignored her. He simply pulled his girlfriend into a deep kiss.

"Urgh, get a room!"

The couple ignored her. Ginny looked at Charlotte.

"Have you got any brothers or sisters?" she asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "Be thankful," Ginny told her. "I have six older brothers and this is the third time I've caught Ron and Hermione doing this. It's enough to send me bonkers."

Charlotte giggled again. Ginny was funny.

The train began to slow down slightly, and the couple reluctantly broke apart. 

"About time," Harry remarked. "I thought you guys were permanently joined at the mouth there for a sec!"

Ron glared at him. Hermione rose.

"Come on, you two, we have to go and help."

The Weasleys grumbled, but followed her anyway. Once again, Charlotte and Harry were alone in the compartment.

"Excited?" Harry asked her, breaking the silence.

Charlotte nodded. "Definitely."

The whistle blew. Charlotte looked out the window. With a start, she realised that night had fallen. She hadn't noticed the day slip by so quickly.

The train stopped, and the two rose. "Leave your trunk here, Char," Harry told her. "Er…you don't mind if I call you that, do you?"

Charlotte shook her head. "Dad calls me Chars, Mum calls me Char unless she's angry with me, and all my friends call me Char except for Holly. She calls me Charrie."

Harry nodded. "Come on, we'd better go."

They left the train. Ginny was holding the door of the carriage.

"See ya later, Charlotte," she said. "I hope you're in Gryffindor."

Charlotte assured her that she did too, and then she turned to Harry.

"Where do we go?"

Harry pointed to the line of apparently horseless carriages. "I go over there. First years follow Hagrid."

Before she could reply, he had hurried off to join his friends. She looked around, unsure of what to do next.

"Firs' years, over 'ere! Firs' years, follow me!"

Charlotte looked up, and saw the largest man she had ever seen in her life.

Okay, that may be a cliffhanger for some people, but it shouldn't be if you've read the book or seen the movie. Emma, I know I said that she would actually see Hogwarts, but the chapter got too long! I'm sorry! Malfoy was going to be in it, but the chap got too long, so I cut him out. By some miracle, he didn't find their compartment or something. I don't know. I'll think of something.

Anyone that has reviewed, or reviews this chapter, will get a mention in my story! If you have a penname that doesn't give me any idea what your name is, I'll make it up, but I will tell you who is who!

Okay, that's it from me.

_~Pen~_


	6. Hogwarts

Disclaimer: Sorry, I forgot this in previous chapters, and I probably will from now on, so this stands for the rest of the chapters in this story. I do not own Harry Potter and all related characters and elements. (I don't even own the disclaimer; I got that off a Harry Potter game cover.) I do, however, own a few of the characters in this story including Charlotte Vaughan; her parents; Michelle and Shay, the prefects; Professor Michael Roberts and the first years. Oh yeah, and Stephanie MacDougal. Emma helped me think of all the names.

Individuals:

**Emma: **Wow, thanks for reviewing TWICE even if it was just because you were annoyed at me. AWWW!

**Gidget/Stephanie (I know who you are!): **If you read on, you ARE Malfoy's girlfriend. Read MALFOY not MOUPHY.

**RBM: **Yeah right.

**michelleywelley: **Thanks! Not just first years, in fact only one of my reviewers is a first year. Ah, well, Malfoy is coming along ... you'll see he's not in this chapter either, but he will come eventually, I swear!

Okay, here we go!

**Chapter Six – Hogwarts**

The man had on a leather vest and old-fashioned clothing, and his black, beetle-like eyes were glinting in the light from his swinging lantern. He repeated his call for first years several more times before speaking to the gathered students.

"'Kay, I'll jus' coun' yeh all, las' year I missed one, yeh see. One, two, three …"

His finger moved around the circle of clustered students.

"Hang on, I think we're missin' one …"

He counted again.

"E-e-excuse me, sir," Charlotte stammered. "I-I don't think you counted me."

"Oh, sorry! Yeah, I missed yeh, I didn't see yeh! Yeh standing in shadows, and yeh're so tall … yeh must be Amanda then, eh?"

"Er, n-no, sir. I-I'm Charlotte." With disappointment, she noted that she once again towered over her classmates.

"Oh, sorry! Which one's Amanda?"

"I am," came a voice that could have been American. Charlotte looked for the speaker but couldn't see her.

"'Kay. Professor McGonagall wanted me to tell yeh all about Amanda, 'cause she's older than the rest of yeh. Amanda's from the US, yeh see, and her parents didn't know she was a witch, 'cause their system is different … anyway, she's thirteen, but she's goin' teh be trea'ed the same, yeh go' tha'?"

There were a few murmurs of 'Yes, sir' and several nodding heads.

"Good. 'Kay, we go this way."

Charlotte and the rest of the first years followed him along a path bordered by thick trees. Charlotte made sure to keep to the middle of the group.

"Here we are."

Some of the students gasped as they rounded the last bend in the path and saw the sight before them. A large body of water, obviously a lake, but as still and smooth as glass, stretched in front of them. Small wooden boats were motionless at the edge of the black water. Above the lake, atop a mountain, was a castle.

"Righ'. No more that four to a boat, now. Quickly!"

The students scrambled forward. Charlotte chose a boat that nobody else was headed for, while the giant man took one to himself.

Another girl joined Charlotte. She waved silently.

"Yeh all in? 'Kay. Forward!"

The small fleet of boats began to move forward towards a large rock jutting into the sky over the water, blocking their view of anything behind it.

"Hello!" said the girl who had joined Charlotte brightly. Her accent was Scottish. "I'm Victoria MacDougal, but most people call me Vic. You're Charlotte, right?"

Charlotte blushed, and was thankful it was dark. "Yeah, that's right. Charlotte Vaughan."

Victoria looked at her for a bit, as if trying to recognise or remember something about her. "Are you … Australian?"

Charlotte nodded.

"Cool!"

There was a lull in the conversation (if you could call it that; Charlotte had only said five words) and they watched the large boulder get closer and closer, until finally the fleet divided around it like a school of fish. The students in the boats in front gasped and the ones around Charlotte craned to see what the fuss was about. Suddenly, the huge castle, now clearly visible but merely a silhouette against the dark sky, came into view. Small squares of light indicated windows and a large rectangle towards the bottom of the castle showed what looked like a dining hall. Silently the boats floated towards a small, rickety-looking pier and docked.

"Well, er … here we are," said the man, rather lamely. "You there, have you still got your cat?"

A boy with dark hair and blonde tips nodded, holding a wicker basket.

Ben liked cats, thought Charlotte unconsciously.

The man strode up to a large pair of wooden doors and knocked three times.

Almost immediately the doors opened, revealing a witch with black hair pulled back in a rather severe bun. She was wearing an emerald set of robes and she carried a wooden walking stick.

"Good, Hagrid. Do you have them all? I seem to remember that you missed one last year. Thankyou, you may go."

The man, Hagrid, muttered his thanks and sidled past her into the castle. The witch beckoned to the students with her free hand.

They followed. Charlotte stuck close to Victoria: she seemed like a good friend and Charlotte was thankful not to be alone.

The witch led them into a small chamber off the main hall. "Wait here, girls and boys, while I prepare for your arrival."

As she left, an excited murmuring broke forth from the students. Victoria turned to Charlotte.

"Ooh, I think we're about to be Sorted. Into our houses, you see. My sister's in Slytherin, but I don't fancy that. I hope I'm in Gryffindor. Her name's Stephanie. Her boyfriend, Draco, reckons that he's Harry Potter's enemy, but I doubt that …"

Victoria kept on with her babble, which suited Charlotte just fine. She didn't particularly want to talk.

"… and they say that last year, he killed a werewolf and Harry tried to save him –"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, I just had to find out for myself." A quite short girl had cut short Victoria's babble. Victoria frowned.

"If you're not the American, how come you're so tall?" the girl asked. She had shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes and three much taller girls standing around her. "Or is everyone in Australia ten feet tall?"

Charlotte trembled. She was not used to people insulting her - she had kept to herself at school - but Victoria saved her.

"Stuff it, Bitchley," she said, glaring at the girl. "Just because you're a dwarf doesn't mean we all are."

"Well, well, well. MacDougal. What a pleasant surprise."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Whatever. Keep your crap to yourself, Bitch."

"Why thankyou," the girl replied sweetly, ducking away.

"I know her," Victoria fumed. "I hate her. She's a bitch. Ignore everything she says, that's my advice. Her name's Emma Bailey and she lives in the same town I do. Just because she's rich, she reckons she owns the whole world …"

"Thanks, Vic," Charlotte said quietly.

"Thankyou, students," said the witch with the walking stick, rapping the said stick on the floor. "Now please, gather around me.

"My name is Professor McGonagall, and I am Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now. In a moment, you shall enter the Great Hall where you will be Sorted into your Houses. These Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." She could not disguise the slight contempt she put on the last word. "Each house has it's own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. In these houses you will dine, sleep and study together. House points will be awarded for triumphs and taken away for rule breaking." She paused and shifted her walking stick to her other hand. "Let me remind you, that although there are certain dangers facing our world, Hogwarts is a safe place and your schooling will be protected from disruption to the best of our ability.

"Now, will you all line up and please follow me."

The first years scrambled into a line. Victoria was in front of Charlotte, and the latter didn't dare look behind her to see who was there. Emma Bailey and her friends were in front of her, however, and this comforted her.

The line of students followed Professor McGonagall through the Entrance Hall to the Great Hall. In here everyone else in the school was seated, most chattering away. There were four long tables, each crowded with students, and another slightly smaller one atop a platform at the front of the Hall. Here sat the staff. There was an empty seat next to an elderly man with long, flowing white hair and a matching beard, long enough to tuck into his belt.

Charlotte caught sight of Harry and his friends at the far right table. They waved cheerfully. (A/N I know that they're on the far left table, but she's facing the other way. It's right for her right now, okay? That didn't really make sense, did it?) She smiled wanly.

Charlotte glanced around, taking in the students, staff and this gigantic room. She looked up and saw, to her amazement, the sky.

Victoria looked over her shoulder and glanced at where Charlotte was looking. She smiled. "It's enchanted, silly."

The first years were approaching the High Table now; the first in the line were beginning to climb the stairs. Soon the whole group was standing single file, facing the rest of the school.

In front of the students was a wooden, three-legged stool. Atop the stool was a worn, frayed, rather dirty wizard's hat.

The whole school was watching the hat expectantly. Charlotte, wondering what was about to happen, jumped in alarm. A ripped seam had suddenly opened and the hat began to sing:

"_Oh, here I am, once again_

_Atop this wooden stool_

_To tell you of the history_

_Of this great magic school_

_But first I will just warn you_

_Of the fate that you all fear_

_So watch me very closely_

_And please, lend me an ear_

_The Dark side grows ever stronger_

_But here we are all safe_

_If we are united_

_And you all have faith_

_But now, onto the history_

_Of this school of magic_

_Although we remember the good parts_

_It is somewhat tragic_

_More than a thousand years ago_

_Four witches and wizards met_

_And when they came to grow apart_

_They said, 'Let's not forget,_

_Our goal is to start a school_

_For all the magic world.'_

_And that is how the greatest_

_Magic school unfurled._

_The dream of the Great Four_

_Was eventually seen by all_

_But soon the great friendships_

_Would tumble and fall."_

The whole school cheered, the first years included.

McGonagall faced the first years, a long piece of parchment in her hand. "Now, when I call your name, students, you will sit upon this stool and place the Sorting Hat upon your head, which will sort you into your houses. Then, when you have been Sorted, you may go and sit with your house. Bailey, Emma!"

The mean girl from before came forward from the line and sat upon the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her head, which fell down past her eyes. After about ten seconds, Emma nodded fervently and the Hat cried "SLYTHERIN!" Emma removed the hat and went to sit at the table second from the right, which had just exploded in cheers.

"Baker, Caitlin!"

A dark-skinned girl with a blonde streak in her hair left the line, and after a few second she was placed in Slytherin too.

"Barnes, Kyle!"

A boy with hair too blonde to be natural and quite prominent ears sat down he too was sorted into Slytherin.

Charlotte began to feel scared that everyone would be in Slytherin when "Bridges, Clare," became the first new Ravenclaw. She sat down at the table second from the left amidst great cheers.

"Bryant, Matthew," was yet another Slytherin and the next five students, "Burgess, Andrew", "Burke, Ashley", "Cartwright, Meghan", "Cartwright, Melissa" and "Cowie, Samuel", were all Ravenclaws.

"Creevey, Peter!"

An extremely small boy with mousy hair came forward. As he sat down he waved to someone at the far left table, where Harry and his friends sat.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry's table exploded with cheers. Two boys, who could only be his brothers, stood and helped him onto the long bench.

"Elcovitz, Amanda!"

This had to be the American girl, but Charlotte could hardly believe she was thirteen. She had short, stylishly cut reddish-brown hair a large number of bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings. She was very short.

Amanda sat on the stool and looked quite disgusted as the Hat was lowered onto her head. Charlotte could only imagine how insulting it was for her to have to wear such a dirty, frayed, patched hat.

She sat with the hat on for at least a minute. She muttered something and then she was placed in Gryffindor too.

"Ellis, Keirra" became the first new Hufflepuff and "Erwin, Jerome" was yet another Ravenclaw. Charlotte noticed that while some students were sorted almost immediately, others took longer for the Sorting Hat to decide. "Fowler, Darren" took almost two minutes until the Hat placed him in Gryffindor.

"Fraser, Amelia" and "Freer, Jonathan" both became new Hufflepuffs, while "Halliwell, Christina" became a Ravenclaw. Her name caused quite a few whispers with the other students.

"That's Geri Halliwell's second cousin," whispered Victoria. "She doesn't look anything like her, does she?"

Charlotte shook her head. Unlike lots of her friends, she hated the Spice Girls, and she didn't care who the poor girl's second cousin was.

"Hudson, Alexander" and "Jennings, Graeme" were two more new Slytherins. "Kay, Evan" was another Hufflepuff and "King, David" was another Gryffindor. "Lauté, Elisabeth" was another Slytherin.

Charlotte caught Ginny's eye. She waved.

"MacDougal, Victoria!"

Victoria gulped and stepped forward.

* * *

WHO'S WHO:

**Emma:** Emma Bailey

**Stephanie/Gidget (I know who you are):** Stephanie MacDougal

**Michael:** Prof. Michael Roberts

**Ron's Best Mate:** Shay Reilly

**Michelleywelley:** Michelle Austin

WHAT? I ONLY HAVE FIVE REVIEWERS! THAT SUCKS!

Thanks to Michael who was the first reviewer that I don't know. And positive criticism does help.

The last three I haven't mentioned yet, but that's because the chap got way to long! Sorry!

I know the Sorting Hat's song wasn't that flash, but I was in a hurry to please you all, my darling reviewers!

From me, your faithful writer,

_Pen Rich_


	7. The Sorting

Another long chapter here, folks, but the Sorting is over, thank God! And it's up a bit quicker than usual. You are so lucky that I feel terrible, peoples! I'm sick, so I get to post. Hmm.

Have you all seen PoA? I know Steph, Emma and Michelle have, and Shay will soon, so I won't give anything away. Isn't it good?

"Don't worry Ron, Madam Pomfrey will fix it in a heartbeat."

"No, no, it's really bad. They'll have to chop it off!"

Aah, good times. R/H rools! (that was deliberate, folks!)

Thankies:

**michelleywelley**: Thanks, darling! The whole point of the story is to have it in Chars' POV, so yeah,

**Emma**: Cool stuff. You aren't mentioned this chapter, but trust me, Chars hasn't heard the last of you!

OK, I'm changing the genre of this story to get more readers! It's now Mystery/Romance.

**Chapter Seven – The Sorting**

Victoria sat gingerly on the stool. The large black hat fell right over her eyes … after a few moments a tear in the brim of the hat opened and began to shape itself into words …

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Once again, the far left table erupted in cheers. Charlotte grinned at her new friend as she sat down near Harry, Ron and their friends.

Charlotte almost missed the next name called. But the name was so important to her, held such good memories in her heart, that she jumped a foot in the air when it was indeed spoken.

"McLeod, Benjamin!"

The boy with dark hair and bleached tips, the one who'd had cats on the way over, stepped forward and sat upon the stool.

_His hair is darker,_ thought Charlotte desperately. _It's bleached, it wasn't before, but he looks like him … I can only see the back of his head, but it's the same shape and everything … it can't be Ben … can it?_

After about a minute, the hat cried "GRYFFINDOR!"

Charlotte suddenly felt a desperate yearning to be placed in Gryffindor, so she could find out if it really was her old friend.

_He lives in Ireland … he could come here, if he was a wizard, couldn't he? He's a lot taller … I still can't see his face … oh, now he's too far away!_

She watched as Benjamin McLeod sat across the table from Ginny Weasley.

As "Morris, Alexandra" and "Mortimer, Luke" were sorted into Hufflepuff, Charlotte tried hard to tear her eyes from the boy across from Ginny. But to no avail.

She was now certain that this Ben was the Ben that she knew. She grew increasingly impatient as the list slowly dwindled through the alphabet.

"Reed, Mark" was sorted into Gryffindor, as was "Reilly, Rachel", a girl with strawberry-blonde hair in a long, high ponytail.

"Richards, Lara" was sorted into Hufflepuff and "Ryde, Philippa", a girl with short black hair, became a new Gryffindor alongside Peter, Amanda, Darren, David, Victoria, Ben, Rachel and Mark. "Samuels, Paul" was a Slytherin, "Stone, Thomas" was a Hufflepuff and "Turner, Kristy" was yet another Slytherin.

_Come on!_

"Vaughan, Charlotte!"

Although she had been anxious to be sorted, Charlotte began to tremble violently. She deliberately kept her eyes away from the Gryffindor table as she forced her legs to move.

The hat fell over her eyes. Suddenly all she could see was the inky blackness of the old material.

"Ah," said a voice in her ear. "A Muggle-born. You have no parents who came here, no one for me to look back on. But, yes! Kin, who came here! Let me see: you could do great things, if only you wanted to. You possess a curious brand of bravery, yet are too shy to see it. Gryffindor, eh?"

Charlotte suddenly realised that she had been silently wishing to be in Gryffindor again.

Yes, Gryffindor. I have friends there, I know a few people!

"Gryffindor could lead you to great things. Yes, I think you should be in GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat had shouted the last word to the whole hall. There was much cheering to Charlotte's left as she took off the hat and walked down to the Gryffindor table.

She sat between Ginny and Victoria and continued to avoid meeting Ben's eyes as "Walker, Rowan" and "White, Rebecca" were sorted into Ravenclaw and "Williams, Karen" into Hufflepuff. Professor McGonagall furled the roll of parchment and moved the stool to the side of the platform.

Chatter began to arise from the crowd of seated students. But almost immediately, the man in the middle of the High Table, the one with long, silvery hair, arose and the babble ceased at once.

"That's Dumbledore, the headmaster," Ginny whispered. Dumbledore's arms were outstretched, as if only the sight of all of the students there made him happy, and the beam on his face reinforced this judgement.

"Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few start-of-term notices, but they must wait until our wonderful feast has been eaten. So, please! Eat up!"

The golden plates and goblets, which Charlotte had only just noticed, were suddenly filled with food and drink. There was every dish that she could imagine: roast meats, vegetables, salads, soups and what looked suspiciously like barbequed sausages, her favourite from back home. She had a fleeting memory of her family and the McLeod's, sitting around the barbie, eating snaggers that the men had prepared. (A/N Ah, the famous Aussie barbeque. My favourite too! We call it the barbie for short, just so you know. And 'snagger' is slang for sausage, like bangers. You know, as in Bangers and Mash? Oh, never mind!)

This memory reminded her of the boy sitting just opposite her. She looked up and saw … (A/N Dun dun dun dun!)

"Ben!"

He looked up, grinning. "Chars, I thought it was you! Oh my God! What are the odds of us meeting back up, huh?"

Charlotte grinned back. "Probably a million to one! Oh, it's so good to see you, Ben!"

"You can say that again."

"So, this is your boyfriend, huh?" Ginny whispered, laughing. Charlotte mock-glared at her.

"No! This is Ben McLeod, my best friend. Ben, this is Ginny Weasley. I met her and her brother and their friends on the train."

"Pleased to meet you, Ginny," Ben said, oblivious to her previous comment.

"You too. That's my brother, Ron, the one stuffing his face. And that's his best friend, Harry, and his girlfriend, Hermione."

"Pardon?" asked Hermione, hearing her name. "Oh, hello. Are you Ben?"

"Yeah."

The two old friends began to recount their adventures, if you could call them that, since Ben had moved away.

"I love Dublin, it's fantastic," Ben said excitedly. "But it was so cold when we got there! It's all right now, but you wait until winter, Charlotte! You'll freeze to death!"

Charlotte, used to the Darwin "winters" where the temperature got down to about fifteen degrees Celsius, minimum, shivered at the mere thought of snow. (A/N Ah, the freezing Darwin winters. Love them.)

"We won the Under 13's Surrey Netball Association's Summer Competition," Charlotte told him. "I played for Little Hanging Lions, and we won! It was really close, only one goal in it, and I shot it!"

Ben nodded, pretending to be interested. But Charlotte knew that he wasn't. He never had been.

When Charlotte felt she would burst from all the food she had eaten, the remaining dishes faded and the plates were sparkling clean again. Then, they refilled with desserts of all kinds: ice cream, pies, éclairs, fruit and all of Charlotte's favourites. She managed to find room for a little bit of everything.

When the desserts, too, had disappeared, the babble of talk rose in a quick crescendo as the students stopped pausing to eat. Professor Dumbledore arose and the babble quickly ceased again.

"I just have a few notices, before you all go to bed. First of all, first years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all students. And a few older students should note that as well." Harry and Ron glanced at each other and grinned. Hermione gave a small "hmph" noise rolled her eyes, but she was grinning slightly too.

"Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you all that magic is forbidden in the corridors between classes. Also, his list of forbidden objects now includes the new Rocket-Powered Roller Skates. The full list can be viewed in his office.

"I believe there are a few vacancies on the Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Quidditch teams. Those interested in trying out for their house teams should see the captains for further details.

"Also, my congratulations to our new head boy and girl, Mr. Macmillan and Miss Granger."

Hermione turned red and sank slightly in her chair.

"Finally, I would like to introduce a new member of staff! Could everyone please welcome Professor Roberts, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Ooh, he's brave," murmured Ginny.

The students all applauded loudly. A man with brownish-red hair on the end of the High Table stood and waved merrily.

"Now, students, it is bedtime. There are no lessons tomorrow, but I would still like for you all to get a good night's sleep! Chop chop!"

There was much scraping of benches as the students arose from the house tables and made for the door. The babble of talk rose again and Charlotte's friends made to leave.

Charlotte ran around the table to the other side. She threw her arms around her old friend.

"Oh, I never thought I'd see you again! Gosh, you've grown!"

"But I'm still a midget compared to you, Chars," Ben replied laughingly. It was true: although Ben was slowly but steadily catching up to his friend, Charlotte still remained at least half a head taller than him. But she knew that soon he would have his typical boy's growth spurt and suddenly tower over her.

"Gryffindor first years, this way!" came a cheery female voice. Charlotte and Ben looked over and saw a girl of about fifteen with wavy chestnut-coloured hair and eyes and blue as the sky. On her badge was a shiny, new-looking badge with a large 'P' and a lion on it. Next to her was a boy with light brown hair and blue eyes, wearing an identical badge.

"Now, is that all of you?" asked the girl. She did a quick head count with her eyes. "Ten, yep, that's right. Well, I'm Michelle Austin and that's Shay Reilly –"

"I know who his is, he's my brother," Rachel muttered.

"Oh, um … well, we're Gryffindor prefects and we're meant to take you to the common room, so come on!"

The group followed Michelle and Shay out of the Great Hall and up a marble staircase. Charlotte was finding it suddenly very hard to walk, perhaps because she so tired and full of food. The prefects led them up many staircases, too many to count, and although Charlotte tried her hardest to remember they way they were going, it seemed impossible. Twice they walked through seemingly secret doors behind tapestries or sliding panels and when it seemed they could go no further –

"Damn." Shay said. Up ahead there was a funny little man with a bright orange bow tie, floating in midair. He had handfuls of bubblegum and was chewing extremely fast.

"Ooh, ickle firsties, what fun!" the man cried, suddenly dropping most of the gum. He whipped a straw from a pocket and aimed the gum in his mouth at Rachel. She shrieked and ducked.

"Peeves!" Michelle shouted crossly. "Get the gum out of your mouth and go away."

"Do you want us to call the Bloody Baron?" asked Shay menacingly. Peeves spat the gum at a painting and zoomed off, cackling away.

"That was Peeves, the poltergeist," Michelle told the shocked first years. "You'll want to watch him. Only the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, can control him.

"Ghost?" asked Ben interestedly.

"Yeah. There's heaps of the around here. Come on, we're nearly there.

Charlotte groaned inwardly. But after about thirty seconds, they reached a portrait of a rather large lady in a pink silk dress.

"Password?"

"Mandrake stew," Michelle replied importantly.

The portrait swung forward. The group stepped through the hole left by the portrait and into a warm, round room.

"This," Shay told them, "is the Gryffindor common room."

Hee hee hee, what fun. Did you expect that Ben was going to show up at Hogwarts? Well he's very important to the plot, so yeah.

By the way, I changed Shay's name. He 'hates' the name Connor, so he didn't want to be O'Connor.

Cya all,

_Pen_


	8. The Great Harry Potter

In this chapter, I am either assuming there is a bathroom and somewhere to store clothes in the dormitories or else inventing them – I don't know which.

Thankees:

**Sandra/Sandra S.: **Thanks for reviewing TWICE! I really appreciated it. I'm not quite sure what you meant about people from the north, cos I'm from the north of Australia if that's what you meant. I'm glad you like my story! I will put you in next chap, most probably!

**RBM: **Thankyou too for reviewing TWICE! You are weird, you do know that, don't you?

**Michelleywelley: **Thankyou again. I'm glad you like Ben.

**Cat-lvr-92: **That's true. And I guess you're right about the song, too. Maybe I'll change it. I'll add you in too. And thanks for reviewing TWICE as well!

**Gidget: **I certainly will! Thanks Steph!

* * *

* * *

**Chapter Eight – The Great Harry Potter**

"Girls, your dormitory is through this door, boys, through this one. Your luggage has already been brought up. Goodnight!"

Ben waved to Charlotte and headed through the door. Charlotte followed Victoria through their own door and up a spiral staircase into a rather large room with five four-poster beds with scarlet hangings. Charlotte recognised her trunk on the end of the row and made for it. Victoria was next to her, which was a relief.

She opened her trunk and began rifling through it, trying to find her pyjamas. Then she looked around and saw a door, which she presumed led to the bathroom.

Inside was a small bath, a mirror and a bench, with a cupboard underneath. A closer inspection of the cupboard revealed soap, shampoo, conditioner and cloths for all of the girls. There were towels stacked in a corner and the whole thing was tiled with red and gold.

Charlotte quickly changed and emerged from the bathroom.

"What?" exclaimed Amanda, the American girl. "Are you going to bed already?"

Charlotte's eyes widened slightly and she froze to the spot. Once again, Victoria came to her rescue.

"Why not?"

"Because it's a _weekend_ tomorrow," replied Amanda, shaking her head and speaking slowly as if she were explaining the one plus one equalled two to a small and slow two-year-old. "We can _sleep in_, so we don't have to get to bed _early_."

"What do you suggest we do in the meantime?" asked Victoria.

"Talk," replied Rachel. "You know … get to know each other a bit. Come on, where is everyone from?"

"Well," Philippa said, "I'm Philippa Ryde, also known as Phil or Pip. I'm eleven and I'm from London. My parents are both magic, by the way."

Rachel nodded. "Well, I'm Rachel Reilly. I'm eleven and I live in Dublin. My brother is that prefect, Shay. Git."

Amanda raised her eyebrows. "Well, I'm Mandie Elcovitz. I'm from San Francisco and I hate England, so there."

Victoria spoke up next. "My name's Victoria MacDougal, though I much prefer to be called Vic, and I'm from Edinburgh. My big sister is Stephanie, and she's in Slytherin."

Everyone turned to Charlotte. "I … I -" Charlotte broke off, took a deep breath and then continued. "I'm Charlotte Vaughan. I now live in Surrey, but I lived in Darwin, Australia for all my life until this June. I'm a Muggle born, apparently."

"Cool! You're from Down Under! Is it hot down there?" asked Rachel.

"Yeah, it is in Darwin, but in Sydney and Melbourne and all that it can get pretty cold in winter. It even snows in some parts."

"Hey Charlotte, you said that you knew that Ginny girl, and she showed Ben Harry Potter! Did you meet him?" asked Vic suddenly.

"Yeah," replied Charlotte slowly. "Why?"

"Oh my God!" shrieked Rachel. She tumbled off her bed, where she had been sitting with the others crowded around her, and crawled to Charlotte's feet. She stood and looked up to Charlotte, about an inch away from her, and demanded, "Is he cute?"

Charlotte was startled by such a question. "I … guess so …"

"Oh, he is _so_ talented!" Rachel cried. "I can't wait to see him play Quidditch. He's meant to be really good. And he has a _Firebolt_!"

Pip whistled appreciatively. "Wow," she said enviously. "I've only got a Comet Two-Sixty!"

"And that's not to mention all the things he's _done_!" cried Vic. "I was sitting on the train with a seventh-year called Ernie Macmillan and he was only too happy to tell me. In his first year, he saved the Philosopher's Stone from You-Know-Who. It was some stone that gave you eternal life or something. In his second year, he saved Ginny Weasley, the girl Charlotte knows, from Tom Riddle, the sixteen-year-old memory of You-Know-Who, and saved the school from a Basilisk. In his third year – Ernie didn't know this for sure but it was a rumour – he helped Sirius Black to escape from the Ministry and saved him and his friends from Dementors, and then in his fourth year -"

"He helped _Sirius Black_ to _escape_?"

Pip was staring at Vic in horror. "Why on Earth would he do that?"

Vic shrugged. "Anyway, in his fourth year, he was in the Triwizard Tournament and got past all these horrible monsters and stuff, and then he witnessed You-Know-Who's return. Only, no one believed him and we all thought he was a lunatic, but in his fifth year You-Know-Who turned up at the Ministry and everyone was apologising and everything. Then last year, Ernie says that his friend, a werewolf, was kidnapped by You-Know-Who and Harry tried to save him, but it was too late. You-Know-Who's still out there and … yeah."

Vic suddenly looked embarrassed for babbling on for so long, but everyone was drinking in every word.

"Wow …" murmured Rachel. "I never knew that."

Charlotte was amazed that the polite, modest, helpful boy from the train had done all of these things. She was just at a loss to understand one thing …

"Who's You-Know-Who?"

Three of the four girls around her suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Well," said Pip slowly, "Nobody says his name. He's the darkest wizard alive and Harry Potter was the one who nearly defeated him when he was just a baby. Now he still fights him and he always gets away. Nobody knows how."

"Do you mean …" Charlotte struggled to remember the name. "Lord … Voldemort?"

The three British girls flinched. Amanda studied her nails, looking bored.

"Yep, that's him," said Rachel weakly. "Please don't say the name again!"

"All Harry's friends did," Charlotte told her.

"Yeah, well … they've probably all fought him. They all know what he's capable of. We don't … we're scared."

Charlotte nodded. "Um … you guys don't mind if I go to bed soon, do you? Only I'm really tired   
and -"

"Go ahead," said Pip.

Charlotte smiled gratefully. She walked back to her trunk was and pulled out a toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush and her glasses case. She headed for the bathroom.

* * *

* * *

OK, I know it's a boring chapter, but the next one should be better, kapeesh? Review, kapeesh?


	9. Teachers UPDATED

OKAY, I WILL NOT BE UPDATING ANYMORE! I WANT TO REWRITE THIS STORY AND PERHAPS CHANGE THE CHARACTERS A BIT COS THIS IS GETTING WEIRD. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO MY RAMBLINGS! BELOW IS THE ORIGINAL CHAPPIE.

SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! SORRY!

**Thankees:**

**Michelleywelley: **Fanx vewy much!

**Ed the Peewee: **Hey Em! Don't worry, you will make a reappearance very soon.

**Darkboy77: **Thanks, but … _boob_?

**LittleGinny15: **Thanks for reviewing TWICE! I love it when that happens; it makes my review numbers go up! Yay! Can Anna be older than that? 2nd or 3rd year?

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Teachers**

Charlotte was surrounded by red … blood red … it was the same colour, but it wasn't blood … they were just curtains.

She woke up properly and remembered where she was. Hogwarts. Gryffindor. Vic, Pip, Rachel, Mandie. Magic.

Slowly she rose from her four-poster bed. She yawned and knelt down to get a pair of jeans and a top from her trunk (writing a mental note to put them into the chest of drawers later) then a pair of long, black robes. She put them on (hoping none of the other girls would wake up, if any of them were there), picked up her bag and then headed down the stairs to the common room.

The common room was nearly empty. Charlotte guessed that most people were down at breakfast, preparing for their first lessons of the year. She was very nervous about the said lessons and would rather not think about them.

Hermione was one of the few people in the common room. She seemed to be immersed in the letter she was reading – it was more than a foot long.

She was frowning. She reached the end of the letter, rolled up the parchment it was written on and tucked it in her bag, stretched, and got up from the chair next to the fireplace.

"Hey, Charlotte," she said as she came closer. "You ready for your first lessons?"

Charlotte shrugged. In truth, she didn't know if she would ever be ready for her lessons in magic. She was afraid that she would never be able to cast a spell or do anything with magic and then they would send her home, saying that there was some mistake and she wasn't a witch after all.

"Have you got all your books and things?" Hermione asked. Charlotte lifted her bag. "Wand? Quills? Parchment?"

"Check, check, check," Charlotte replied, grinning. "Come on, I'm starving!"

Hermione let Charlotte lead the way to the Great Hall, and to her delight only made one wrong turn. Good thing, too, Charlotte thought. I only spent an hour learning the way yesterday.

The day before, Harry, Ron and Ginny had taken all the Gryffindor first years on the 'grand tour' of Hogwarts, showing them the classrooms, the library, the Quidditch Pitch (they had attempted to explain the game, but Charlotte was thoroughly confused), the Owlery and had explained all the rules (though Charlotte couldn't remember them all, and hoped she wouldn't have to).

In the Great Hall she met Pip and Vic. She helped herself to eggs, bacon and, of course, sausages while examining the timetable she had just been handed by Professor McGonagall. It looked something like this:

**_Monday_**

_9:00 a.m. Double Charms_

_10:30 a.m. BREAK_

_10:45 a.m. Defence Against the Dark Arts_

_11:30 a.m. LUNCH_

_12:00 p.m. Transfiguration_

**_Tuesday_**

_9:00 a.m. Double Potions_

_10:30 a.m. BREAK_

_10:45 a.m. History of Magic_

_11:30 a.m. LUNCH_

_12:00 p.m. Herbology_

**_Wednesday_**

_9:00 a.m. Defence Against the Dark Arts_

_9:45 a.m. BREAK_

_10:00 a.m. Charms_

_10:45 a.m. LUNCH_

_12:00 a.m. Double Astronomy_

**_Thursday_**

_9:00 a.m. Double History of Magic_

_10:30 a.m. BREAK_

_10:45 a.m. Herbology_

_11:30 a.m. LUNCH_

_12:00 p.m. Potions_

**_Friday_**

_9:00 a.m. Defence Against the Dark Arts_

_9:45 a.m. BREAK_

_10:00 a.m. Double Transfiguration_

_11:30 a.m. LUNCH_

_12:00 p.m. Herbology_

Herbology_ is held with the Ravenclaws_

Potions_ is held with the Hufflepuffs_

Hermione looked at her own timetable and moaned. "What a horrible day! Potions AND History of Magic AND Ancient Runes AND Defence Against the Dark Arts! That Roberts man better be decent!"

"Ancient Runes?" asked Charlotte. "I don't have that …"

"It's one of the subjects you can start in third year, if you want to," Hermione replied. "There's quite a few to choose from … it depends which career you want to get into."

Charlotte nodded. "I've got Charms first … is that Professor Flitwick?"

"Yeah, the tiny one up there."

"Where's Charms again?" asked Charlotte, racking her brains.

"Fourth floor, right hand corridor. Don't worry, Flitwick is really cool. I wish I had him first, but no, I had to get _Snape_ …" Hermione wandered off, muttering to herself.

Charlotte was just finishing her breakfast when Rachel rushed in.

"Oh, no! Quarter to nine … must eat … slept in … oh, _damnit_!"

Charlotte tried to slide across the bench, out of the path of the spilt pumpkin juice, but instead hit Ben rather forcefully.

"Oh! Sorry, Ben! I didn't know you were there!"

"What are you trying to do, decapitate your best friend?" he asked, outraged. Charlotte caught the twinkle in his eye just as she opened her mouth to reply. "Nah, jokes, that's cool, Chars."

Meanwhile, Rachel was mopping up the mess she'd made with her left hand while bolting down some cornflakes with her right.

"Where's Mandie?" asked Vic, frowning. "There's only ten minutes until our first class, she'd better hurry up …"

But as they waited outside the door to the Charms classroom, Mandie still hadn't arrived.

"Maybe I should go and get her," Rachel murmured. "She wouldn't want to miss our first class, after all."

But Pip shook her head no just as tiny Professor Flitwick arrived.

"Welcome, first years! Now please, come inside, come inside …"

Charlotte and Vic found seats next to each other in the middle of the room. Rachel sat at the back and Pip down the front. Ben rushed in and sat on Charlotte's other side.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, young Gryffindors!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed. "I am Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher here at Hogwarts. I'm just going to take the register, so I can put some faces to names! Now, where are we …" He shuffled some papers around on his desk until he found what he was looking for. "Peter Creevey?"

"Here!" he called from the front near Pip.

"Amanda Elcovitz?"

There was silence.

Flitwick did a quick headcount and found only nine in the room.

"Does anyone know where Miss Elcovitz is?"

"Sorry, sir, I think she slept in," Rachel replied. "Would you like me to go and check?"

"When I finish calling the register, you may. Darren Fowler?"

When the register had been called, and Rachel had gone to fetch Mandie, Flitwick straightened the pile of cushions he was sitting on to see over the desk and grinned at the class.

"I am a strong believer in a good mix between fun and work," he squeaked. "Many Charms lessons will be fun and practical. Mr. Creevey, could you distribute these feathers? There should be one for everyone."

Peter eagerly got up and placed a single, white feather on every desk in the room.

"You will all need your wands in a moment, but first I will demonstrate. Your first lesson at Hogwarts will be … levitation!"

An excited wave rippled through the ten students.

"First, we shall practice the wand movement. Wands out, please … very good. Remember that the wand movement is just as important as the incantation! For a levitation spell, a specific wrist movement is required. Swish and flick."

The class repeated his action.

"Very good. Wands down, please, we don't want any accidents while you practice the incantation. Repeat after me – _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" the class chanted.

"Pronunciation is very important. In some cases, mispronunciation can have disastrous effects. Now. Again?"

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!"

"Wand movement? Wands ready?"

"Swish and flick!"

"Well done! Now, put them together! Lets see if we can get those feathers flying!"

* * *

An hour and a half later, when the bell rang for break, Charlotte had finally managed to get her feather to float up to the ceiling. Ben had managed to get it a foot off the desk, and Vic had done it quite quickly. Peter Creevey had been the fastest, though. 

Vic, Ben and Charlotte spent their break in the courtyard. They found a corner and turned up their collars to the brisk wind.

"That was so fun!" Vic said. "When do we get him again?"

Charlotte checked her timetable. "Wednesday, after break."

"Aw! I was hoping tomorrow!"

"We've got Defence Against the Dark Arts with the new guy now. Professor Roberts. Reckon we should get going?" asked Ben.

They had taken barely three steps when a girl with long black hair stopped them.

"Hello!" she said brightly. "You guys are Gryffindors, huh?"

Charlotte nodded slowly.

"Me too! I'm in second year. Elizabeth Valdez." She stuck out her hand.

Ben shook it warmly. "Ben McLeod. This is Victoria MacDougal and Charlotte Vaughan."

Charlotte forced a smile.

"Well, if you guys ever need anything, gimme a shout, yeah?"

"Sure," replied Vic.

Elizabeth bounced off. Almost immediately, another girl stopped them.

"Don't mind her, she's almost too friendly," the girl grinned. "I'm Sandra Delaney. I think it's the Spanish in her. Party girl, you know? See you!"

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "Aren't we popular today!"

Sure enough, a third girl stopped them. This one looked a little older than the first two.

"Sorry, do you know who this little guy belongs to? I found him in the Gryffindor Common Room. My kitty was trying to play and he got really scared." In her arms was a turtle shell-patterned kitten.

"That's Gingko!" Ben cried. "You silly boy, how did you get downstairs? Thanks so much!" he said to Gingko's rescuer.

"Any time! I'm Bree Thompson, by the way."

The three finally made it out of the courtyard and up three flights of stairs to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Professor Roberts ushered them inside as the bell rang. Charlotte hadn't noticed before, but he really was a frightfully tall man.

"Good morning, Gryffindors! I am Professor Roberts, your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher! I trust everyone is here?"

Mandie had finally arrived partway through Charms. "Flitwick must have told him," Vic whispered. Charlotte giggled.

Professor Roberts, too, took the register. Then he told them all to stand up.

"I just want to see what you all know. Don't worry if you can't answer a question, it's quite all right. I just want a feel of who knows a bit of magic and who knows nothing. Mr. Fowler, what is a Doxy?"

"Evil fairy-dude," Darren replied.

"Excellent. Miss Ryde, what would happen to me if I was bitten by a werewolf?"

"You'd become a werewolf and transform every full moon."

"Good! Mr. McLeod, what is a good spell for getting rid of pixies?"

"I'm sorry sir, I don't know."

"That's fine, that's fine! Miss Vaughan, why is Harry Potter famous?"

Charlotte gulped. "He got rid of an evil wizard … Voldemort?"

"Well done! Yes, when he was only a year old he defeated Lord Voldemort. He has five times faced him and survived since. Has anyone met him?"

Vic, Ben and Charlotte all raised their hands.

* * *

After lunch, the Gryffindors attended a Transfiguration lesson. The teacher, Professor McGonagall, was strict and gave them a lot of homework. 

Vic was in a dreadful mood when they arrived back at Gryffindor Tower. "It's only our first day! Who does she think she is, giving us so much work?"

"A teacher?" Ben suggested with a grin.

* * *

'K, I'm SO SORRY! I had really bad writers block. I mean, I knew that they would attend three lessons in the chapter, but, I don't know, I guess I just couldn't get it down, you know? Anywho, there are a few reviewer characters here:

**Bree Thompson**: cat-lvr-92

**Elizabeth Valdez**: LittleGinny15

**Sandra Delaney**: Sandra/Sandra S

I hope you like them. Seeyas all, and hopefully the next instalment won't take quite as long. Buhbye!

_Pen_


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